Arranged Marriages and the Art of Mutual Fund Investments

Hmm, so where should I begin... Say that when I first heard the following line, I was, to say the least, offended. The similarity between a girl and a mobile phone is that "Kuch din aur intezaar kar liya hota, to aur bhi achcha model mil jata"

It left me astonished. But come to think of it, it was right to an extent. Like mutual fund investments, finding a girl, or getting your parents to do the same for you, can be a test of your patience, if you know the tricks of the trade.
Sounds confusing?
Lets take a look at the graph below. A bell shaped curve is shown with respect to time and expectations. In a typical case of a mutual fund investment, where you cannot predict the market, you are advised to invest in small amounts over a period of time. Whether the market is high or low, you can even out your investments and stand to gain in the long run anyway.
Arranged marriages are like a systematic mutual fund investment plan. If planned the right way, you mutually end up with a handsome profit. Rest not assured that one matrimonial section is going to yield the partner of your dreams. In a highly unpredictable world, diversify your investments. Look at all the matrimonial avenues, in all newspapers, websites. Don't confine yourself to partners of any one community - learn to be cosmopolitan. Spread your net over the span of time.

However, our bell shaped curve has its ups and downs. Say you are at point A. You have just started looking for a partner. Naturally, your expectations are on the rise. You reach point B, where you have almost met your criteria. If you are not the perfectionist, you are advised to quit at this point and give a big high five to the shehnaaiwala. However, if you are picky, you will move on to point C. This is the most dangerous point. If you recognise point C and realise that no matter what your expectations are, you cannot get better than this, you are a genious. Unfortunately, most of us are not. We reach C and then descend to B. With time, your expectations must lower themselves. At point B, most people would be wise enough to call it quits. A wise decision indeed. A majority of people fall into this category. Sadly, some of us still continue hoping that we will reach C and instead come down to A. At A - the game is over.

I am at a stage of my life where I am surrounded by friends most of whom are between B and C. Advice, comments and counsel flow as freely as the water of the municipal corporation. Some say its a gamble, some have learnt to measure it with their own stride and some have rather chosen to ignore it. I watch and learn...........

Yeh Haath Mujhe De De Thakur!

Rain Maker

I have a dress that used to be called white at one point of time. So, what's special you might ask. Every one has a white dress that does not remain white for very long. The reason I choose to blog about this particular garb of mine is that it is jinxed. It can make rain. Yes, in the 21st century where people scoff at witchcraft and wizardry, some whites can still be the reason behind 'black magic'.

Whenever I wear this white dress, it rains inevitably. While I don this dress, all cleaned, starched and shining, and pray fervently that it should remain that way till the end of the day, Mother Nature always seems to have other things in store for me. Last time I wore it was on a sunny day, when it seemed nothing could go wrong; it rained all of a sudden. It always has to rain just when I am on the road in that dress negotiating a particularly muddy area. Or when I am trying to cross a street and a moving vehicle splashes rain water.

As a result, my white dress has become mud stained, spotted and in short cannot be worn without proper restoration. I stopped wearing it for nearly a year and last night suddenly thought about it. It’s the middle of summer here and there is little sign of the much awaited monsoon. I smiled to myself because nothing could go wrong and put out the dress that had been restored to its old glory.

I woke up this morning to a flood of rain - it’s rained so much that most streets are flooded, trains are not running and going out anywhere is out of question.

I am next thinking of taking that dress of mine to some famine stricken area.